Get whichever pistol you prefer. There's nothing wrong with .22's or 9MM.

I would suggest that the training you receive and the practice you commit to is more important than the caliber of the firearm you purchase.

Anything less than 9MM is probably not optimal for concealed carry, but if you can't get ammunition for your pistol or you can't afford to shoot it, then it really doesn't matter what cartridge it's chambered for.

I prefer 9MM, but capacity and fast follow-up shots are more important than stopping power to me.

I wouldn't put so much money into a 22lr, but that's just me. I have 3 22s, a Phoenix and 2 Jimenez. The Jimmys have both been flawless since day one with all ammo types. The Phoenix is standard velocity only and will not function with anything else at all, but with that standard velocity ammo it too has been flaw free. No more or better could be said of any other firearm ever.

My advice, spend less than 200 on this and get a nice used 9mm for the leftover amount you have.

Buy intelligently and don't fall for ignorant snobbery, it's rampant on these forums.

For reference, at 80ft I can hit the paper with every shot from these pistols. Haven't tried further, but am guessing accuracy would start to decline greatly at much longer ranges like 100ft+.

Careful, there's a lot of faithful and defensive 380 owners that swear by the round. lol

If .380 is what you can and will carry everyday, then there's nothing wrong with that. Similarly, .22LR is quite lethal. For me, it's a question of a balance between lethality, stopping power, and controllability.

A quality +P+ 9MM hollow point cartridge is pretty similar, with respect to ballistics, to a factory .357 Magnum load. I realize that there are lots of other more powerful handgun cartridges out there, but all of those loadings cost a lot more, are less available, are more difficult to control when attempting to make fast follow-up shots, and require larger and more expensive handguns.

The cost of the cartridge, capacity of a flush fitting magazine, and the variety of loadings available for 9MM is pretty hard to beat. I'm not sure how much .380 ammunition costs where you live, but it's actually more expensive than 9MM where I live- by as much as $10 more per box of 100. I primarily shoot Winchester, Federal, and Remington, but other brands of .380 may be less expensive than those brands. Back when .45 ACP cost less than $20 per box of 100 at Wally World, I shot a lot of .45 ACP. Steel cased practice ammo helps a lot on price, but I generally have to order the stuff online and it's a hassle.

I can practice more often and place more rounds on target faster with 9MM than .40 S&W or .45 ACP, which is why I carry and use a 9MM pistol.

If .380 is what you can and will carry everyday, then there's nothing wrong with that. Similarly, .22LR is quite lethal. For me, it's a question of a balance between lethality, stopping power, and controllability.

A quality +P+ 9MM hollow point cartridge is pretty similar, with respect to ballistics, to a factory .357 Magnum load. I realize that there are lots of other more powerful handgun cartridges out there, but all of those loadings cost a lot more, are less available, are more difficult to control when attempting to make fast follow-up shots, and require larger and more expensive handguns.

The cost of the cartridge, capacity of a flush fitting magazine, and the variety of loadings available for 9MM is pretty hard to beat. I'm not sure how much .380 ammunition costs where you live, but it's actually more expensive than 9MM where I live- by as much as $10 more per box of 100. I primarily shoot Winchester, Federal, and Remington, but other brands of .380 may be less expensive than those brands. Back when .45 ACP cost less than $20 per box of 100 at Wally World, I shot a lot of .45 ACP. Steel cased practice ammo helps a lot on price, but I generally have to order the stuff online and it's a hassle.

I can practice more often and place more rounds on target faster with 9MM than .40 S&W or .45 ACP, which is why I carry and use a 9MM pistol.

have you ever actually compared the ballistics of either? even a 9mm +P load is only about half of any factory 357 magnum load. even using Hornady's ballistic charts for comparison, and they are some of the hottest factory loads, still yields the 357 Mag. close to twice the muzzle energy of the 9mm +P loads.

short comparison from Hornady's website if you wish to cofirm for yourself.

Hey everyone! I have been researching handgun ownership for the past month or two and I think I am ready to bite the bullet. I have shot handguns/small cal rifles about a dozen times or so and have taken a handgun safety class at a local shooting range, so I am not a complete beginner to sure have a lot to learn to still.

Here's my main issue, I cant decide which caliber handgun to buy. My logic tells me that this is just like any other skill and that one should work there way up equipment wise as they become more skilled. For this reason I have been leaning towards a .22 or maybe a 9mm. That way ammo is cheap enough so I can get some practice under my belt before moving up. Right now my purpose for gun ownership is to just have fun, go out shooting cans in the desert, and master the basic skills of pistols.

However, I am obviously catching heat from my buddies who are already gun owners saying I should get a 40 or 45 because .22's and 9's are "wimpy guns" and I obviously know that but Im just trying to plink around at the moment.

So basically, should I just tell them to suck a fat one and stick with my gut and go the smaller caliber route or would I really be wasting money by getting a plinker? Sorry for the long post.

Kimber Ultra TLE II with Laser Grips. Save yourself money and time and get this weapon first. Ammo is a little hard to find right now but that is the way it goes sometimes. It is the best gun going. Show up with this weapon and your Homies will shut up and drool. (:->

I live in a rural are so my preferences might not be useful to a urban dweller. I believe everyone should have a single action 357 or larger caliber with a 6.5" or longer barrel. It is a great truck or bedside gun. It has the range to bag varmints threatening my livestock. Home invasions are an issue in this area. I want something that will put a bad guy down with one shot or at least stun him long enough to get a long gun. Most conflicts in this area that lead to gun play are with people you know. Everyone I know is not coming with a pistol. They are most likely to bring a shotgun loaded with buckshot. At least we are on equal footing range wise.

The last shooting we had that involved two locals was 2 brothers shooting each other at 10 feet with 357 revolvers. One died and the other is ruined for life. This was a couple years ago.